Less filling

By David Booth, Canwest News Service

Originally published: June 25, 2010

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Much to the chagrin of Porsche’s traditional aficionados — for whom product diversification beyond the 911 has been nigh on sacrilegious –the new Panamera V6 is not a complete pile of dog poop. Those same 911 addicts hate the Panamera only slightly less than the company’s Cayenne SUV (in fact, they can barely stand the Boxster) and would like nothing more than to see the Panamera fall flat on its face.

A casual inspection of the new base model Panamera’s specification sheet might lead one to believe it a veritable morsel of aforementioned poop. Though the lopping off of two cylinders saves some 30 kilograms, the new Panamera is still pushing perilously close to two tons, a formidable heft for any engine to motivate, let alone a relatively minuscule 3.6-litre V6.

Worse yet, at least according to that spec sheet, is that Porsche developed the V6 by simply lopping off two of the 4.8L V8’s cylinders, never the way to optimize a six-cylinder powertrain. V6s are best harmonically balanced and, therefore, smoother running when aligned 60 degrees between the cylinder banks. Ninety degrees, like the Mercedes 3.5L V6, seldom works as well, feeling coarse and unsophisticated by comparison. The combination of that heft with a rough, high-revving engine could easily have been a huge mistake.

Thankfully for Porsche, the Panamera V6 never feels even remotely unsophisticated. Indeed, the new 3.6L is something of a marvel, feeling both powerful and surprisingly smooth — at least from inside the cabin. Most surprising, perhaps, is that Porsche bothered to develop its own V6 at all. After all, the Cayenne makes do with a Volkswagen-sourced V6 that shares the very same performance statistics — 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque — as the Panamera. That’s about all they share, although both offer unconventional formats.

The Panamera version is the unusual 90 degrees mentioned earlier, but the Cayenne’s is equally unusual, its 3.6L V6 being a narrow-angle setup (10.6 degrees) made famous in various Volkswagen sports models.

On the other hand, the Cayenne’s VR6’s is massively undersquare with a 89-millimetre bore and a long 96.4-mm stroke, while the Porsche 3.6 is a high-revving oversquare design with Porsche’s Variocam variable valve timing. Quite why Porsche forges ahead with two V6s of identical performance — when other companies are trying to minimize costly parts proliferation — is quite a mystery. Porsche’s press kit makes a big deal about the automaker “choosing” the 90-degree format because it offers a lower centre of gravity, but that’s a load of the aforementioned puppy droppings. The real reason for the format is that it was much cheaper to lop off two cylinders from the V8 rather than develop an all-new engine block.

Nonetheless, it’s a gem. Acceleration is good, with the rear-wheel-drive version scooting to 100 kilometres an hour in 6.3 seconds when equipped with the PDK seven-speed double-clutch transmission. Porsche claims the all-wheel-drive version performs the same feat in 6.1 seconds (5.9 if it’s an AWD model equipped with the Sports Chrono package’s Launch Control system), the difference being traction — the company obviously feels the V6 can break the rear tires loose, ruining the launch. As good as the engine is, I’d say that’s a little optimistic.

But the base Panamera will cruise all day at an autobahn-eating 200 km/h. Passing may not be as effortless as it is with two extra pistons, but it still feels sporty. Even the sound emanating from the Panamera’s twin exhaust pipes remains sweet. While not as intimidating as the Turbo S’s, it still sounds very sporty. And, in European Driving Cycle tests, the rear-drive Panamera V6 averages 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres, no doubt aided by the Auto Start Stop function that cuts the engine when the car is stopped and the driver keeps his foot on the brake pedal.

The rest of the V6 Panamera is very similar to its more endowed siblings. All-wheel drive is available, as are torque vectoring differentials, air suspension and electronically adjustable anti-sway bars that let the Panamera scoot around corners with barely any roll yet coddle passengers as a large, luxurious sedan should. In fact, like the V8-powered Panamera, the V6 version feels a little more composed than the Turbo, which suffers from an overly enthusiastic throttle that makes its precise modulation difficult during cornering.

Likewise, the interior is very familiar, which is to say there’s more room in the back seat than in the Aston Martin Rapide and less than in an SClass Benz. The leather appointments are exquisite by any standard, and Porsche makes do with a plethora of buttons rather than hide everything behind the supposed simplicity of an LCD screen and a microchip–I can’t say these buttons are any more complicated. However, the base stereo system could use some help. It boasts 10 speakers but only 100 watts of cumulative audio power, not exactly the overwhelming musical reproduction one expects from a sedan that starts at $88,000. At least an upgraded Burmeister system is available with more power and more speakers.

That $88,000 buys a base rear-drive Panamera; the AWD model costs $4,800 more. That’s fairly expensive for something powered by a V6, no matter how well it performs. But it is much less than the base V8, which is priced nearly $30,000 more, and the Turbo version, which is a whopping $155,000. While I still think the 4S is the best of the Panameras, I would choose the V6 over the Turbo.